Clay Aiken News Network

Clay Aiken – Volunteer Round Table

By musicfan123 · Comments (7)

Tuesday, October 19th, 2010

On Saturday, October 16^th, The National Inclusion Project hosted an outstanding event. The successful Champions Gala was filled with hope, encouragement, motivation, friendships, good food, generosity and, wonderful music by Clay Aiken and his back-up band. It was a wonderful celebration of an extraordinary year.

One of the most interesting events of the weekend was held Saturday morning. Billed as a volunteer round table, the meeting was hosted by Aron Hall and Jerry Aiken. Priscilla Brame and Diane Bubel were also there to help.

After a short overview of the Pepsi Refresh Project, Aron and Jerry took a moment to share the successes of the foundation.

80 cents of each dollar goes to the children
20,000 children have benefited from the National Inclusion Project
There have been 110 programs in 38 states
$5 million has been invested to advance inclusion

The participants were told that the 18 Let’s All Play camp programs that were initially funded are all continuing with the program. Although they no longer qualify for funding from the Project, inclusion has been integrated into their daily practices.

25 programs were funded by the project in 2008, 31 programs in 2009, and 45 programs in 2010. The programs have taken place in 23 states, including Alaska. The goal for 2011 is 50 programs!

Jerry stated that the work of the foundation is a social movement and they are working for social change. One of the Project’s beliefs is that every child can make a friend, can participate, and can be successful. He emphasized that it is not about dropping standards, but finding a new and unique path for success for each child.

It was mentioned that there are three important components of a successful inclusion program:

Children with disabilities
Accessible activities provided for them
Positive relationships with other children

The Saturday workshop was filled with many ideas and suggestions for successful Let’s All Play programs and the morning went by quickly as the group was involved in a “hands-on” presentation. There was so much positive interaction and each participant went away, filled with hope, excitement and the determination to share this information with the world. Many of the attendants were interested in getting more training and wanted more information on the regional Let’s All Play training.

Aron talked about some of the projects that have been successful in raising support for the National Inclusion Project. He stated that each program can be duplicated and that those who started the project are willing to pass along the information to make it run easily.

1. Wrapping For Inclusion….there is a detailed analysis of the best dates and places and examples of stories that can be used by volunteers.

2. Black-tie Yard Sale….an upscale yard sale. Invite antique dealers and members of clubs in the area. Hold it at a historic home.

3. Roll N Stroll….It has been very successful in New Jersey and Ohio.

4. “Toy Day”….various large trucks and equipment are placed in an area. Children are allowed to climb on them and ask questions of the operators….think fire trucks, bulldozers, tractors.

The National Inclusion Project is just seven years old, yet it has partnered 110 projects in 38 states and invested $5 million to advance inclusion. They have become the leader in recreational/social inclusion. What an amazing accomplishment! Let’s all stand up and work to see that this wonderful work continues until inclusion is the norm and the National Inclusion Project is no longer a necessity!

Comments (7)

Categories : NIP/TBAF

Tags : Aron Hall, Clay Aiken, Decca Records, Diane Bubel, Jerry Aiken, Let's All Play, National Inclusion Project, Pepsi refresh Project, Priscilla Brame, Roll N Stroll, Tried & True, Wrapping For Inclusion

Clay Aiken – A Night To Remember

By musicfan123 · Comments (7)

Saturday, October 16th, 2010

There are no words to describe the wonderful experience of attending The National Inclusion Project’s Champions Gala. Saturday night was filled with inspiration, hope, encouragement, motivation, and joy………lots of smiles, lots of friendships, lots of generosity, lots of laughs ………AND beautiful music from Clay Aiken.

I will never forget hearing and seeing the final performance of the night. Clay sang a poignant rendition of Both Sides Now. The arrangement, the vocals and the signing combined to make this performance a touching finale to the night.

It is very late and I am returning home early in the morning. Details on the wonderful week-end will be posted tomorrow. Thank you for your patience.

Listen to Both Sides Now!!

Clay Aiken – Both Sides Now | Upload Music

Comments (7)

Categories : NIP/TBAF

Tags : Clay Aiken, Decca Records, National Inclusion Project, Tried and True

A Conversation With Clay Aiken

By musicfan123 · Comments (3)

Friday, October 15th, 2010

The National Inclusion Project hosted an exciting and informative program Friday night at the Raleigh Convention Center. Billed as a VIP Reception, the Project presented a program filled with music and news about the organization.

Fourteen tables of Vip Sponsors were greeted by Jerry Aiken who thanked the audience for their support of the National Inclusion Project. He then introduced Voices For All.

Voices For All is a partnership between Voices Together in Education, a therapeutic program for Exceptional Children and Jill Boliek’s advanced girl’s choir at Riverside High School in Durham. They work together to build a musical experience and a place to expand understanding between two groups of students.

The choir sang two beautiful songs. It was wonderful to see the joy and excitement that music and performing brings to all the students. Each member brought their own special voice to the performance and received a standing ovation for their exciting and touching performance.

Following the choir performance, the audience was introduced to Katie Holmes and her daughter, Tia Holmes. Tia is an eighth grader who advocates for inclusion for all. This young lady who has CP is a wonderful public speaker who told the audience of her pro-active experiences in pushing for inclusion for all. Both Tia and her mom have real experiences that they can share with the world. What a treat to hear from both of them.

Clay and Diane Bubel hosted a question and answer session that was very popular. They fielded questions about the Project. It was a lively discussion about what the National Inclusion does and what they cannot do. They discussed short and long term goals and emphasized the need to educate more people about Inclusion. It is not a word that is understood by all. Faye Parker challenged the VIP members to make sure they bring a guest to the Gala next year.

The evening ended with dessert and pictures with Clay.

The evening was informative and with Clay on the stage, it was also filled with lots of fun comments. He brought a bit of humor to an important topic. It was a great start to a wonderful National Inclusion Project weekend.

Comments (3)

Categories : NIP/TBAF

Tags : Clay Aiken, Diane Bubel, Faye Parker, Girl's Choir Riverside High School, Jerry Aiken, Jill Boliek, Katie Holmes, National Inclusion Project, Tia Holmes, Voices For All, Voices Together in Education

Clay Aiken – Let’s Make Difference

By musicfan123 · Comments (3)

Saturday, October 9th, 2010

It’s important that I make a difference in some way. It’s not necessarily how I make a difference, but I want to make sure that I do….Clay Aiken

Whenever I see this famous quote from Clay Aiken, my heart swells and I just have to smile. I think back, with pride, at how many ways Clay has already made a difference for so many people.

I would imagine that most of Clay’s fans are trying to find a way they can make a difference too. Today, CANN will highlight one way that we can help. Even with our hectic lives and the difficult economy, we can participate in this project.

The Way We Make A Difference

The Way We Make a Difference began with a simple idea – that of fostering the cause of inclusion with a donated concert ticket. Thanks to your support, people with and without disabilities have been able to experience the joy of attending a concert together. Some of the organizations we have worked with include Best Buddies, Special Olympics, YMCA, The Arc of the United States and Ronald McDonald houses.

Mamarose, the owner of the Clay Board, is one of the founders of The Way We Make A Difference. She posted the following information about the latest ticket push.

The Way We Make A Difference Ticket Project would like to announce that we will be accepting tickets/donations for Clay’s upcoming Tried and True Tour!

If you find you have an extra ticket or two to donate, we would welcome them!

For anyone not familiar with our project, TWWMAD promotes inclusion by offering a chance for people with and without disabilities to share in the excitement of seeing Clay in concert.

If you have tickets you would like to donate, please email us at ticketdonation@thewaywemakeadifference.org

We will be posting more information on the upcoming tour after the Gala. Also, if you have made a previous donation to the project and have not yet received a tax donation letter, they will be sent out following the Gala.

Thanks in advance for helping us to make a difference, one concert ticket at a time!

What a wonderful and easy way to support Clay and the objectives of the National Inclusion Project. We can make a difference!

We are in the middle of the Pepsi Refresh Challenge. Are you voting 3 ways, every day? This is an important way to make a difference. It doesn’t cost the supporters any money, just a few minutes of their time each day.

The following e-mail was sent out to supporters of the National Inclusion Project.

Help Us Make the Climb!

We are excited to be participating in the Pepsi Refresh Challenge. We are competing in the $50,000 category and need to be in the top 10 to win. We need your help to spread the word so we can bring Let’s ALL Play training to more programs across the nation and open doors for ALL children to participate in all that life has to offer!

Voting Instructions
1. Go to www.refresheverything.com/nationalinclusionproject
2. Click “Vote for this idea.”
3. It will prompt you to sign-in. Log-in with your email address. (If you haven’t already, you can register very easily.)
4. Click “Vote for this idea” again. (This is very important!)
5. You will know you voted when you see the “Votes left today” change to 9.
6. You can then log back out and log-in with Facebook if you have it and vote again.
7. You can also text the numbers 102308 to Pepsi (73774).
8. Share your vote on Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Message Boards.

How Do I Share With Others?

1. Home Page Splash: Check out all the ways you can vote by visiting our home page! www.inclusionproject.org
2. Daily Reminders: Tell people to sign up to receive a daily email reminder and become eligible to win a free iPad if we finish in the top 10 and win $50,000! Sign up here: www.inclusionproject.org/pepsi
3. Facebook/Twitter Updates: Join us on Facebook and Twitter!
4. Forward this email by clicking the link below. Share the content on message boards and blogs.
5. Are you doing a live event? Do a group text! Have the attendees turn their cell phone sounds on and walk them all through sending a text together! When Pepsi texts back, the feedback will be amazing!

The Importance of Voting Alliances

We have established a voting alliance with other participants in the Pepsi Challenge. This offers us the opportunity to tap into more spheres of influence to garner votes. It also helps build awareness of who we are with people who might not know. Pepsi has given you 10 votes per day to use (technically, 30 since you can vote 10 times each on texting, Facebook, and email). We would like to ask that you vote for the following in an effort to concentrate our focus in these last two weeks!

Click on the link or type www.refresheverything.com followed by their tag in parentheses. You can also text the number following the link to 73774 to give them another vote!

*International Foundation for CDKL5 Research (/curecdkl5 and 102973)
*Oakland Children’s Hospital and Cardinal Glennon (/rettclinic and 103134)
*Ella’s Hope (/ellashope and 100288)
*CMV (/ccmvfoundation and 101692)
*Center for Courageous Kids (/courageouskids and 102408)
*1p36 Deletion Support (/1p36 and 101439)
*Lake Reba (/lakerebaplayground and 102102)

Today’s Featured Partner:
The Center for Courageous Kids

The Center for Courageous Kids, located in Scottsville, KY is a year round medical camp designed specifically for children living with medical challenges who could not attend a traditional camp. A 501(c)(3) not for profit, we are dedicated to uplifting children living with chronic or life-threatening illnesses. The Center for Courageous Kids has currently served over 6,000 children with various illnesses, disabilities, and conditions from across the country. Please vote! Your vote makes a difference in the lives of so many children who are medically fragile. Vote on www.refresheverything.com/courageouskids or text 102408 to Pepsi at 73774! MANY THANKS!

Thank you!

Thank you, Clay Aiken, for opening our eyes and hearts and helping us to step up and make a difference.

Comments (3)

Categories : NIP/TBAF

Tags : Best Buddies, Center for Courageous Kids, Clay Aiken, ClayBoard, CMV, Decca Records, Ella's Hope, Lake Reba, Let's All Play, Pepsi Refresh Challenge, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Special Olympics, The Arc of the United States, The National Inclusion Project, The Way We Make A Difference, Tried & True, YMCA

Clay Aiken – Pepsi Refresh Help

By musicfan123 · Comments (8)

Wednesday, September 8th, 2010

Each day in September, fans of Clay Aiken and the National Inclusion Project are evaluating the results of their voting in September’s Pepsi Refresh Challenge. In a bid to secure $50,000 for the foundation, the list of various groups that return votes is modified often.

The sharing strategy was organized by a group of fans, headed by SueReu and has been used at several Clay Aiken message boards.

All eligible voters (legal US citizens at least 13 years old) should include the “Everyone” list in their voting strategy and then choose one of the other groups to help distribute the 10 votes for the day. Remember, one Internet vote and one text vote are allowed each day.

First thing, each day through Sept. 30, go to the Pepsi link and click on “Vote for this idea.” You can also choose to sign in through Facebook. If you do, be sure to click on “Vote for this idea” again. You will know that your vote counted when your daily allotment changes to nine.

If you are into texting, you can also vote by texting 102308 to Pepsi (73774). Unfortunately, The Pepsi Refresh Project is only open to U.S. residents, 13 years and older. The many international fans can only help by spreading the word and acting as cheerleaders.

To the right of this article, there is a button you can click on that will help you vote. I hope you will support this wonderful organization and encourage your friends to throw their votes to the National Inclusion Project.

EVERYONE VOTE FOR:
National Inclusion Project
http://www.refreshev…nclusionproject

Group B
Add iPad http://www.refreshev…ing.com/alabama
St. Joseph’s School http://www.refreshev…schoolcomputers
Despite Dyslexia http://www.refreshev…despitedyslexia
Bag Ladies http://www.refreshev…ng.com/sthc3737
Blind Cat Rescue http://www.refreshev…/blindcatrescue
RETT http://www.refreshev…searchtoreality
Screamfest http://www.refreshev…om/screamfestla
Family Fun Events http://www.refreshev…familyfunevents
BRIDGES http://www.refreshev….com/bridgesdch

Group C
Ella’s Hope for Autism http://www.refreshev…g.com/ellashope
Boise Bicycle http://www.refreshev…ebicycleproject
Health Shots Reminder http://www.refreshev…thshotsreminder
Saving Shelter Pets http://www.refreshev…vingshelterpets
Wild and Wonderful Pet Pantry http://www.refreshev…derfulpetpantry
Chem-Bio tech http://www.refreshev…/chembiotechlab
Ovarian Cancer http://www.refreshev…g.com/hopeheals

Here’s some words you can copy/paste to the comment section:

Votes from National Inclusion Project! Help us help kids with disabilities experience life with their peers. We’re going for $50K!!

http://www.refresheverything.com/nationalinclusionproject

Thanks for your support!!!

Comments (8)

Categories : Clay News, NIP/TBAF

Tags : Clay Aiken, Decca Records, National Inclusion Project, Pepsi refresh Project, Tried & True

Clay Aiken – A Project For September

By musicfan123 · Comments (8)

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

Update

The new information for this project can be found at

NATIONAL INCLUSION PROJECT – PEPSI REFRESH

It is September 1st and it is the first day of voting for The National Inclusion Project at The Pepsi Challenge. This is our opportunity to help raise money and support for Clay Aiken’s very own charity. It won’t cost anything to help and it will take about 1 minute of each day.

In an e-mail, the National Inclusion Project wrote:

The Pepsi challenge is a month-long activity with each registered person able to vote daily through email, Facebook, and/or texting. We have entered the competition for $50,000 and there are 10 winners each month so there is plenty room for our partners and the Project to win.

Please help us achieve success with the Pepsi Refresh Challenge! We need you to vote daily and encourage your friends, neighbors, and anyone else you can think of to vote. You do not need to have a Facebook account to participate, but you will need to setup an account with Pepsi at www.refresheverything.com. It will take only a couple of minutes and then login daily to vote. To sign up for a daily email reminder, visit us at www.inclusionproject.org/pepsi.

Together we can do this and continue to make a difference in the lives of children, thanks for your continued and dedicated support!

According to Aron Hall, the director of Services at the National Inclusion Project, the Pepsi Challenge does not give out the complete details until the last minute. So, the first place to get the instructions will be in the daily reminder from The National Inclusion Project. And, of course, we will publish all the details as soon as we get them.

Aron was kind enough to send us a wonderful letter he received from a parent. He said we could share it with you.

“I just wanted to personally thank you for making room this summer for Jonathan to participate in the inclusion camp. He absolutely loved it. He liked the routine, games and counselors and of course friends he met at the camp. He was the camper of the day for a few times and we were so proud of him. It has been more than a week since his last day at camp; he continues talking about what he would have done now at the camp if he were there. I think he gains more confidence and has gotten more comfortable being around with other kids. I think we made the right move. You have done a wonderful job in finding all those energetic, helpful and enthusiastic counselors. Again, I can go on and on about his camp experience and have nothing negative to say about the camp.

We thank you for providing such a wonderful camp for our children. Please take care and we’ll see you next summer.”

This is why our votes are so important!!

So………lets put this challenge at the top of our “to-do” list. AND, don’t be surprised when we remind you often about the importance of voting this month. I believe we will all feel good as we watch our votes make a difference!

Comments (8)

Categories : Editorial, NIP/TBAF

Tags : Aron Hall, Clay Aiken, Decca Records, National Inclusion Project, Pepsi refresh Project, Tried & True

Clay Aiken – Chase Community Giving

By musicfan123 · Comments (10)

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

The National Inclusion Project

Winner of

$20,000

from

Chase Community Giving

A Big

to all the fans

for all the hard work!!

Comments (10)

Categories : NIP/TBAF

Tags : Chase Community Giving, Clay Aiken, National Inclusion Project

Clay Aiken – CVS Caremark Charitable Trust

By musicfan123 · Comments (8)

Friday, July 2nd, 2010

Congratulations to The National Inclusion Project. It was announced that they received a $35,000 grant from the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust. The CVS Caremark Charitable Trust has a budget of $6.3 million for grants that support causes including children with disabilities as well as nonprofits that provide health care services to the uninsured and medically at-risk populations.

The following information about this new grant is found on the National Inclusion Foundation web page.

Building on a three-year partnership, the National Inclusion Project and the National Summer Learning Association will create a distinct and powerful new force for change in the field of summer learning for all children, especially those with disabilities. The partners will expand access to high-quality inclusive summer learning opportunities for young people by developing a summer learning curriculum to help summer camps fully include youth with disabilities. Research suggests that inclusive summer learning programs can prevent summer learning loss and promote academic achievement for all children and youth, foster positive relationships between children with and without disabilities and adults, and promote improved peer relationships and acceptance of diversity. “We are excited to partner with CVS Caremark to continue leading the way in creating inclusive opportunities for children nationwide,” said Clay Aiken, co-founder of the National Inclusion Project.

“In today’s challenging economy, it’s more important than ever to support organizations that can have a positive impact on children with disabilities,” said Eileen Howard Dunn, Vice President, CVS Caremark Charitable Trust. “We’re proud to support the National Inclusion Project and the wonderful services provided by their programs and we wish them continued success in 2010.”

The CVS Caremark Charitable Trust’s grant to the National Inclusion Project is part of $6.3 million in grants given to nonprofit organizations across the country in 2009. A number of these grants align with CVS Caremark All Kids Can, the company’s signature philanthropic program focused on supporting children with disabilities by raising awareness about inclusion, creating greater opportunities for physical activity and play, and providing access to medical rehabilitation and related services.

Other CVS Caremark Charitable Trust grants provide support for medical services for the uninsured, grants to pharmacy schools, scholarships for the children of CVS Caremark colleagues and funding for community organizations for which CVS Caremark colleagues act as volunteers.

There are so many ways that we can support The National Inclusion Project. This organization is an important part of life for Clay Aiken. It has been amazing to watch it grow into the leader in the field of Inclusion. At this time when money is tight for almost everyone, it is important that we look for innovative ways that we can support the Project. It is always great and important to see corporate support so that many kids can be supported.

To learn more about the National Inclusion Project or ways to get involved, visit their Web site at www.inclusionproject.org.

The following are a few pictures of Clay attending the National Inclusion Project Galas.